Welcome back? Dancing With the Stars fans were extremely upset when Artem Chigvintsev wasn’t part of season 28 of the reality competition series, but things may be looking up. Although he wasn’t on the list of pros previously announced for season 29, it sounds like he may be joining!
On Friday, August 21, Good Morning America teased a big surprise announcement coming on Monday, August 24, tweeting that another pro dancer will be announced. The video shared two very telling clues: “He just had a baby with the love of his life, and she knows how to kick some ass.”
Of course, that clue sure sounds like it’s describing the 38-year-old star! Chigvintsev and fiancée Nikki Bella — who happens to be a former WWE Superstar — welcomed their first child together, a son, on July 31.
The Burn the Floor alum has competed on the ABC series for eight seasons and was completely taken aback when he wasn’t part of season 28 last year.
“Obviously, it was a massive shock,” the dancer said on “The Bellas Podcast” in August 2019. “It’s not even a job, it’s a lifestyle if you’ve been doing it for a very long time. There was never a thought in my mind that I’m not going to be doing it. There’s always a chance, as a pro, you might be doing some performances on the show and there’s still an involvement in some sort. But getting this call, [hearing] ‘There’s gonna be no involvement in the show from now on,’ it’s like going through a breakup after 10 years.”
The former Strictly Come Dancing star also shared that he learned he was let go just five days before the news was shared with the world.
“I dedicated 10 years of my life to that company and being let go a few days before the announcement, that’s, like, a punch in the stomach really,” the Russia native said at the time. “I can’t let anyone decide my fate from now on.”
Bella, 36, who first met Chigvintsev when she was partnered with him for season 25, recently shared on her podcast that she is hopeful he will return to the competition — even though she may be jealous!
“People really missed his presence and he’s just an incredible dancer and he’s always an incredible partner too. He truly knows how to showcase the celebrity and he’s an incredible choreographer,” the Incomparable author said during a July episode of her podcast. “I’m praying and hoping that he’s back this season. Even for him, I just know how much he misses dancing and I know he would love to be back on the show. It would just be fun to experience it now as his fiancée because I’ve danced with him. … Would I get jealous? Would I not? And honestly, at this point, I want him to get it so bad that I feel like I wouldn’t. I would be turned on, I want to see my man dance again! I love it. I need to see those hips move and roll!”
Dancing With the Stars premieres on ABC Monday, September 14, at 8 p.m. ET.
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